SAN MARCOS  A 2-year-old greyhound who took off from his owners’ San Marcos home last week has been rescued — with the help of social media and other dog-lovers — after five days on the run.

The dog, Aston, was bred to race, so when he darted away from his owner Brooke Raudenbush, she knew chasing him was impossible.

Raudenbush said she had just arrived home from walking her two dogs about 6:30 p.m. June 4 when Aston became spooked, wriggled out of his harness and ran.

“There was no chance. I couldn’t even see him,” Raudenbush said Friday.

She said she placed an immediate and hysterical call to Greyhound Adoption Center in El Cajon, where she and her husband had gotten Aston two months earlier.

That evening, volunteer searchers from the center showed up with “lost greyhound” signs bearing a 1-800 number that people could call to report sightings.

Aston was among 19 rescued race dogs from the Midwest who had been taken in at the center, where he lived for roughly a year before the Raudenbushes adopted him.

He was bred to run but never made it to the track — he was shy, and had little ability to interact with people, according to center founder and president Darren Rigg.

Technology helped track Aston when he went missing in San Marcos. The center’s Facebook postings about the lost pup spread and 40 searchers a day showed up, some driving down from Orange County. Tipsters helped, calling in sightings.

Also key was the center’s first-time use of mapping technology to plot where Aston had been spotted. The technology helped searchers figure out his path — an arc with a 1.5 mile radius from his owners’ home. “It was so darn handy,” Rigg said.

They narrowed down where he was hiding, set up a humane trap, and sprayed a greyhound urine trail to lure Aston to a covered cage. They also set up a camera on a nearby tree and waited.

On Monday, it worked. Aston was “textbook,” Rigg said, following the trail to the trap. But the skittish dog just wouldn’t go inside it.

A surveillance camera snapped a photo of Aston on June 9 near a humane trap set in San Marcos for the 2-year-old greyhound. Moments later, a trainer lured him to her and took him to his owners' home.
— courtesty photo

A surveillance camera snapped a photo of Aston on June 9 near a humane trap set in San Marcos for the 2-year-old greyhound. Moments later, a trainer lured him to her and took him to his owners' home.
/ courtesty photo

The center’s kennel manager saw Aston about 10 feet from her van. She broke into a Donovan song — “Catch the Wind” — the same tune she’d sung to Aston during his year at the kennel, center spokeswoman Francie Murphy said.

His ears perked up. He came trotting over, climbed into the van and was taken back home.

Raudenbush said Aston’s pads on his paws are still very sore, he had a few scratches and he lost a few pounds — after going five days without food — but the vet told her that Aston is essentially fine.

After his adventure, Aston seems more than fine, she Raudenbush said. He’s better than ever, even cuddling on the couch.